Lollapalooza Bringing Dance Focus To Chicago

This year’s three-day, sold-out mega-festival that starts Friday on Chicago’s lakefront will have well-known headliners like Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Black Keys, but it also will have a special focus on dance music. Two electronic heavyweights, Avicii and Justice, will play main stage shows this year.

The festival, which Ferrell started in 1991, is in Chicago for the eighth year, taking up more than 115 acres and eight stages. Those stages will be filled with acts such as Florence & the Machine, Jack White and Sigur Ros, as well as up-and-comers like former “American Idol” contestant Haley Reinhart.

“I’m really blessed to be part of something this huge early on,” Reinhart said. “Coming off of ‘American Idol’ it’s such a hip thing to be a part of. It will hopefully turn a lot of heads.”

The lineup includes acts from across Europe, Chile, Australia and Malaysia and American music hubs like Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tenn.; and Portland, Ore. It reflects genres from rock to pop, hip hop and rap to reggae. In recent years, headliners have included Lady Gaga, Green Day, Eminem, Kanye West and Coldplay.

Farrell also expanded the festival format beyond music. This year’s Lollapalooza will include gourmet food options, handmade arts and crafts, bicycle parking and rewards for fans who recycle.